_ FROM TODDLER TO TEENAGER

Classes organization

Rockboro Pre-School provides a caring and nurturing environment in which children’s skills are developed through a diverse range of activities. Small classes ensure that each child receives the individual attention that is fundamental to academic and personal development.

PRE-SCHOOL

Rockboro Pre-School’s Graduate led team strives to empower children to understand and communicate their emotions, think for themselves, and make decisions in their own lives by creating physically and emotionally safe spaces where children come first without exclusion. The nurturing environment at Rockboro supports and encourages children to develop trust, independence, initiative, empathy, and self-confidence.

Rockboro Pre-School is purpose-built, located in a dedicated section within the main school building, and is closely linked to the Primary School throughout the year. We cater to children of Pre-School age in a safe, secure, and warm environment. Pre-School children have access to a dedicated garden area, along with the use of the school’s outdoor games yard and grass pitch. The Pre-School also has access to the large indoor hall, stage area, and library. The proximity of the Primary School, shared facilities, and frequent interactions with Primary School children support a smoother transition to Primary School.

The teacher/pupil ratio in the Pre-School is 1:11 and a maximum of 22 children attend each day, ensuring that each child receives the individual attention he or she needs to flourish. Our Pre-School is developmentally designed, and child-centered, with a curriculum based on the approach of High Scope and play-based learning. The curriculum also relates to Aistear, the National Childhood Curriculum Framework (https://ncca.ie/en/).

At Rockboro we operate the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Scheme which is free of charge to eligible children for two years of preschool. The ECCE scheme is delivered to children of Pre-School age (2 years 8 months to 5 years 6 months) prior to commencing primary school. We also offer the National Childcare Scheme (NCS), for further information see: https://www.ncs.gov.ie/en/. We are registered with Túsla, the Child and Family Agency.

Opening times:
Monday to Friday (38 weeks per year)

    • 8.30 am to 9.00 am – Early Start (optional & fees apply)
    • 9.00 am to 12.00 pm – ECCE Session (free of charge to eligible children)
    • 12.00 pm to 1.30 pm – After Care (optional & fees apply)

Early Start/After Care options are available on a first come first served basis. The ratio for these sessions is 1:8 and a maximum of 16 children attend each day.
For bookings or further information please contact preschool@rockboroschool.ie.

JUNIOR AND SENIOR INFANTS

In the Junior Infants and Senior Infants classes, children are immersed in a happy and supportive classroom environment where they are encouraged by their teachers to become independent and to develop a love of learning and discovery.

Our infant program incorporates the early childhood curriculum framework Aistear. In these important formative years, children continue to build solid foundations in literacy and numeracy in small classes with individualized attention from their teachers. They encounter a wide-ranging and enriched curriculum designed to challenge and stimulate them. Many of the subjects are taught by specialist teachers. At this stage, children are given short homework assignments (with an emphasis on reading) to reinforce their skills and to allow parents to become actively involved in their children’s education.

J1 – J6

In the J1 and J2 classes, children continue to learn in a lively, fun, and supportive classroom environment, nurtured by dedicated and enthusiastic teachers who seek to foster confidence and independence in their young pupils.

J1 and J2 children enjoy a broad curriculum designed to challenge them to think independently and to instill in them a sense of curiosity. Specialist teachers bring their expertise to many of the subjects taught at this level. Small classes ensure that each child receives the individual attention that is fundamental to academic and personal development during these early years. In addition, children in J1 and J2 participate in enriching co-curricular and extra-curricular activities which broaden and enhance their school experience in such areas as sport, art, music, drama, and science.

J1 and J2 children are given daily homework assignments which serve to extend their skills; reinforce the work done in class; encourage the habit of reading; and enable parents to see the progress their child is making while taking an active role in their child’s education by helping with homework.

In J3 and J4 children make the transition from Rockboro’s Junior School to the Senior School. They encounter an exciting and challenging curriculum taught by motivated and inspiring teachers, many of whom are subject specialists.

At this stage, pupils enjoy an in-depth approach to an enhanced curriculum designed to encourage creative and independent thinking. J3 and J4 children benefit from small classes in which dedicated teachers offer individual attention and inspire in each child a sense of confidence in their ability to learn. Children are encouraged to develop their interests outside the classroom and to take part in the wide range of extra-curricular activities offered by Rockboro.